We lived in "White City." However, we sometimes referred to it as "The Hill." We all seem to have wonderful memories of our times there.
Even though we grew up during the depression years, we did not realize that we were poor. Families that lived on "The Hill" were employed by Draper Corporation. The homes were owned by the corporation. Each week a few dollars were subtracted from the men's salary for rent. However, the upkeep was minimal. Our homes were painted periodically (inside an out). The company trained plumbers, carpenters and electricians, who took care of all the repairs. They even supplied our light bulbs.
Our neighborhood consisted of many immigrant families-Polish, Russian, Canadian, English, French, Italian, Irish and one Armenian family. Our life style was different. It seems as if we lived an all the homes.
Most families had gardens. If a home did not have enough land for a garden, it was no problem. There were a lot of wooded areas around our hill. A small plot of land was cleared and a garden was planted. We had fresh vegetables all summer. In the fall, families were busy canning and pickling foods for the winter.
Christmas was special. Lisa, a true gourmet Italian cook, could even make dandelions taste good. She had a big black stove and at Christmas the top would be covered with chestnuts. Another time, an English neighbor came to visit us with home made plum pudding and hard sauce. She flamed it. We were fascinated. The French introduced pork pies. When my mother made doughnuts, there were enough for all the children.
Can you visualize a world without cars? I can only remember one car. We walked and walked some more. At times we rode on the bus or took a taxi. In a way, it was great for us. The streets were our playground. Generally, we could stay out until 9 p.m. We played tag, cops and robbers, etc. In the winter, we used the hilly roads for sledding. Our family even had a pair of skis. We took turns-we would ski down the hills, dodging garbage cans, ducking under clotheslines and at times bumping into the bushes.
When we were older, we were allowed to go ice-skating on Hopedale Pond. It seemed that half of Hopedale was there. At times the boys would form a line, skate fast and then "snap the whip." The kids at the end of the line would go flying.
Everyone on "The Hill" had to be home by 9 p.m. We discovered short cuts through the cemetery or we cut through the railroad tracks. I recall one evening vividly. We were just strolling along slowly. Suddenly, one of the girls yelled, "Look!" We turned around and not far from us, we saw a silhouette of a tall man clad in a cape and a top hat. He was so visible in the moonlight. Then he extended his arm. We were terrified. We all ran fast! One of the girls dropped her skates. We retrieved them the following morning. No one seemed to believe us. Years later, I read part of the history of Hopedale. Legend claims that Mr. Ballou, who settled Hopedale, comes back to haunt the town. I feel quite certain that Mr. Ballou was watching us that wintry night. Hermina (Cichanowicz) Marcus, December 2002.
For more Cichanowicz and White City pictures, click here. To read Hermina's memories of the war years and working at Drapers Hermina's softball memories. John Chute's White City memories, with photos of construction in 1923 Memories Menu HOME